log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain[Sahir giving a status to women that was different from the abla nari/ pampered beloved/ decorative doll stereotypes of those times]
 | Log Aurat Ko Fakat | Asha Bhosle | Ravindra Jain | |
| Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980) | Sahir Ludhianvi |
Lyrics of Log Aurat Ko Fakat - लोग औरत को फ़कत
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hainlog aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
ruh bhi hoti hain usme ye kahan sochte hain
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
ruh kya hoti hainm isse unhe matlab hi nahi
wo to bas tan ke takajo ka kaha maante hain
ruh mar jaye to, har jism hain chalti hui laash
is hakikat ko samjhte hain na pahchante hain
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
kitni sadiyo se ye vehshat ka chalan jari hain
kitni sadiyo se hain kayam ye gunaho ka rawa
log aurat ki har ek chikh ko nagma samjhe
ho kabilo ka zamana ho ke shehro ka sama
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
jrab se nasl bade julm se tan mel kare
ye amal hum hain beilam parindo me nahi
hum jo insaano ke tahjibo liye firte hain
hum sa vehshi koi jungle ke darindo me nahi
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
ek main hi nahi kya janiye kitni hongi
jinko ab aayina takne se jhijhak aati hain
jinke khaabo me na sahre hai na sindur na sej
aur na murda hu ke jeene ghamo se chhutu
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
ek bujhi ruh lute jism ke dhache me liye
sochti hu ki kahan jake mukkadar fodu
main na jinda hu, ke marne ka sahara dhundhu
aur na murda hu, ke jeene ke gamo se chhutu
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
kaun batlayega mujhko kise jakar puchhu
zindagi kahar ke saancho me dhalegi kab tak
kab talak aankh na kholega zamane ka zamir
julm aur jabr ki ye reet chalegi kab tak
log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain
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film (Insaaf Ka Taraazu) (1980) - Indian films and posters ...
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log aurat ko faqat jism samajh lete hain
log aurat ko faqat jism samajh lete haiñ
ruuh bhī hotī hai us meñ ye kahāñ sochte haiñ
ruuh kyā hotī hai is se unheñ matlab hī nahīñ
vo to bas tan ke taqāzoñ kā kahā mānte haiñ
ruuh mar jaate haiñ to ye jism hai chaltī huī laash
is haqīqat ko na samajhte haiñ na pahchānte haiñ
kitnī sadiyoñ se ye vahshat kā chalan jaarī hai
kitnī sadiyoñ se hai qaa.em ye gunāhoñ kā rivāj
log aurat kī har ik chīḳh ko naġhma samjhe
vo qabīloñ kā zamāna ho ki shahroñ kā rivāj
jabr se nasl baḌhe zulm se tan mel kareñ
ye amal ham meñ hai be-ilm parindoñ meñ nahīñ
ham jo insānoñ kī tahzīb liye phirte haiñ
ham sā vahshī koī jañgal ke darindoñ meñ nahīñ
ik bujhī ruuh luTe jism ke Dhāñche meñ liye
sochtī huuñ maiñ kahāñ jā ke muqaddar phoḌūñ
maiñ na zinda huuñ ki marne kā sahārā DhūñDūñ
aur na murda huuñ ki jiine ke ġhamoñ se chhūTūñ
kaun batlā.egā mujh ko kise jā kar pūchhūñ
zindagī qahr ke sāñchoñ meñ Dhalegī kab tak
kab talak aañkh na kholegā zamāne kā zamīr
zulm aur jabr kī ye riit chalegī kab tak
Source :
- Book : Kulliyat-e-Sahir Ludhianvi (Pg. 447)
- Author : SAHIR LUDHIANVI
- Publication : Farid Book Depot (Pvt.) Ltd
The feminist poet of Hindi cinema - The Hindu
The feminist poet of Hindi cinema
Log aurat ko fakat jism samajh lete hain/ Rooh bhi hoti hai is mein yeh kahan sochte hain
It’s one of those wonderful coincidences that International Women’s Day, celebrated worldwide on March 8, falls on the same date as the birthday of a poet who brought a feminist, progressive sheen to Hindi film lyrics. Yes, that’s Sahir Ludhianvi – that exceptional lyricist who, through his body of work, crafted an image of the woman that was distinct from the way she was then popularly portrayed.
Sahir was unarguably Hindi cinema’s only feminist poet – a distinction that assumes additional significance when you consider that he wrote during an era that had stalwarts like Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shailendra and Gulzar. I say this because while these poets might have written some lyrics of a feminist nature, Sahir’s preoccupation with gender oppression and gender egalitarianism runs like a leitmotif through his body of work. The film lyric, by its very nature is circumscribed by context; yet, Sahir moulded it adeptly to express his ideology, both in his serious and light songs.
Much of Sahir’s angst came from a childhood in which he helplessly watched his mother’s oppression at the hands of his licentious zamindar father. The sensitivity that this awakened in him to women’s suffering found expression in such powerful songs as Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahan hain (Pyaasa) and Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko (Sadhana), which lashed out at a patriarchal, exploitative society that had double standards for men and women. But the most direct expression of his anger was undoubtedly Tu mere saath rahega munne – while it was written for a situation in Trishul in which an abandoned woman vows to bring up her unborn child on her own, it was clearly about Sahir’s mother’s own unrelenting custodial battle and the struggle she went through to raise him.
Tu mere saath rahega munne is remarkable not so much for the lyrics as the fact that it subverts the gentle, dreamy traditional lullaby into one that paints the grim reality of life (Main tujhe reham ke saaye mein na palne doongi/ Zindagani ki kadi dhoop mein jalne doongi). It also unleashes a terrible wrath, seeking, as it were, to sow the seed of revenge in the child's subconscious: Zakhm seene me liye, khoon nigahon mein liye/ Mera har dard tujhe dil me basana hoga/ Main teri maa hoon, mera har karz chukana hoga
This has to be the first and only anti-lullaby ever written, and it could only have come from Sahir.
But Sahir’s feminism wasn’t only about angst and indignation – it coloured even his lighter romantic songs, giving a status to women that was different from the abla nari/ pampered beloved/ decorative doll stereotypes of those times. The woman who sang about her man being her devata and protector could never have come from Sahir’s pen – he urged his woman to shed her perceived weakness and stand up for herself: Poncch kar ashq apni aakhon se, muskurao to koi baat bane/ Sar jhukaane se kuch nahin hoga, sar uthaao to koi baat bane. In a light-hearted sequence in Vaasana, centering around the heroine being unable to lift her own luggage, he wrote a delightful song, Itni naazuk na bano, which, while being ostensibly teasing, is a clear advocacy of the need to be independent. Goes a verse: Yeh na samjho ke har ek raah mein kaliyan hongi/ Raah chalni hai to kaanton se bhi chalna hoga/ Yeh naya daur hai, is daur mein jeene ke liye/ Husn ko husn ka andaz badalna hoga.
Given that lyric-writing is a contextual craft determined by the song situations in a film, is it fair to assume that Sahir would have written the grovelling Aap ki aankhon ne samjha pyar ke kaabil mujhe type of songs if he had to? Or the vulgar, objectifying ones? I doubt it. There is little evidence of this in his work of three decades – indeed, he was known to refuse to pen songs that offended his sensibilities. The famous example of this is Jubna se chunariya khisak gayi re, the raunchy kotha song in B R Chopra’s Dhund, which had to be written by composer Ravi after Sahir put his foot down. It is worth noting that Sahir was the in-house lyricist for Chopra’s production house, yet refused to compromise.
Interestingly, Sahir wrote perhaps more kotha/brothel songs than any lyricist in Hindi cinema (Devdas, Pyaasa, Chitralekha, Sadhana) without ever descending to cheapness. The sex worker/courtesan, depending on the context of the film, was an object of sympathy or sensuousness in his lyrics but always a human being entitled to her emotions and dignity. The sublimation of a streetwalker’s desire into bhakti ras in Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo from Pyaasa is a famous example; as is the courtesan’s taunting of a moralistic holy man in Chitralekha. Sahir has outdone himself in this song written in chaste Hindi: Yeh bhog bhi ek tapasya hai/ Tum tyaag ke maare kya jaano/ Apmaan rachaita ka hoga/ Rachna ko agar thukraoge/ Sansar se bhaage phirte ho/ Bhagwan ko tum kya paaoge.
Essentially then, the lyricist was no stuffy moralist but someone who differentiated between the male gaze variety of songs and genuine expression of sensuousness (those ‘feminists’ who defend today’s vulgar item songs as a celebration of female sexuality would do well to heed the difference). He explored this sensuousness at a time when love songs were mostly about romantic abstractions (though even in this sphere he was on par with the best): lines like Pighale badan teri tapti nigahon se or Roohon ke roohon se, jismon ke jismon se/ Sadiyon ke naate hain are not easily found in other lyricists’ work. Also, amazingly, his songs spoke of consent in an era where chhed-chhaad stalking numbers were very popular – take Sone Ki Chidiya’s Pyar par bas to nahin hai mera lekin phir bhi/ Tu bata de ki tujhe pyar karoon ya na karoon; or Insaaf Ka Tarazu’s Hazaar khwab haqeeqat ka roop le lenge/ Magar yeh shart hai tum muskura ke haan keh do.
A fortnight before the release of Insaaf Ka Tarazu, the feminist poet of Hindi cinema passed away after a massive heart attack. Sadly, there’s never been another like him again.
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Log Aurat Ko Faqat Jism Samajh Lete Hain - Atul's Song A Day
Different people probably react differently to it. I think it has grown in significance in the last few years – and that’s a good thing, in my opinion. It IS a day when women and their issues tend to get attention in the media, through articles and interviews. Even governments, especially of late, seem to want to use the occasion to make announcements relating to women. All of this is good. What can be bad about highlighting women’s issues? Bringing them onto the radar, building awareness about them. The first step to addressing an issue is, acknowledging it. So all of this is good.
But then, what next? Are we going to work on fixing these issues, or just pay lip service to them? And then wait for the next Women’s Day and play the record all over again? All of us know what the issues are. I would be mansplaining if I start getting into detail about them, so I won’t. I’ll just say, women go through these issues every single day, at home, on the streets, at their workplace, while trying to enjoy a stroll in the park, just about everywhere.
Men have no clue. Really, they don’t. (And let’s not get into #NotAllMen here. Obviously there are exceptions but that’s not the point at all. This isn’t personally about you, you or you. It’s a broader point that we need to accept – and not diminish it by defending men with the #NotAllMen tag).
Many men think they understand – and believe me, they mean well. But the ground reality is that without the lived experiences that women go through every single day, men can never really feel the way women feel. That’s just how it is. It’s the privilege they enjoy purely by virtue of being born male.
Even as I’m writing this post here, I recognise that. Which is why, while I can be supportive, I will stop with just that. Instead of saying “I know exactly what you mean and I fully empathise with you”. No, I don’t. Because I cannot.
How can I? I’ve never been groped. I’ve never been objectified. I’ve never had lewd remarks made about me. I’ve never had to worry about being raped. I’ve never had to worry about whether what I’m wearing could “get me into trouble”, or whether I could be “bringing dishonor to the family” by staying out late. I’ve never had to ….. ok, there I go mansplaining again. Sorry! You get the drift!
So even as I write this, I feel a woman is in the best position to talk about women’s issues. What a man can do, is to be supportive. Why? Because he’s the reason women have these issues in the first place! So it’s incumbent on him to fix them too. Why should women have to solve problems not created by them? Why should the woman have to “watch her behaviour” just because a man cannot control his? The most pathetic of excuses is “men will be men”. What sort of drivel is that?
There are many ways men can be supportive. For example, they can stand up publicly to defend women’s rights. They can treat women as equals – in all walks of life. They can call out all those “jokes” which effectively demean women. They can do so much more. Sorry, if this is coming across as giving “gyaan”. That’s not the idea – nor is this the platform for it.
Just that for me, Women’s Day isn’t just about celebration but also about introspection. To be followed by action.
Let’s move on the song for today. It’s by Sahir – who else?
Sahir was known to be a thinker – and was vocal about his views on society. He didn’t hesitate to call out ills in society, and show it a mirror – whether it was bigotry, hypocrisy, corruption, treatment of women, just about anything. His most famous song discussing the plight of women is, without doubt, “Aurat Ne Janam Diya Mardon Ko”. The same film ‘Sadhna’ (1958) had another song with hard-hitting lyrics “Kaho Ji Tum Kya Kya Khareedoge, Yahaan To Har Cheez Bikti Hai”. These songs have already been covered here on this blog – but the song for today, though not that well-known, also discusses the plight of women in India.
It is from B.R. Chopra’s ‘Insaaf Ka Tarazu’ (1980) – and it is also hard-hitting. Since Sahir passed away in October 1980, this must have been among the last few films for which he wrote lyrics. I played the song multiple times today – and each time the lyrics just drew me further into the song. That was the power of Sahir.
On one level, it is a depressing song because it talks about how women are treated as just objects by men. How men, who are supposed to have more cognition than animals, are actually worse than animals. In the film, Zeenat Aman has been raped by Raj Babbar (who she had considered a friend, if I remember the story right!) – these lines seem to reflect her feelings in the aftermath of the rape.
I wish I could say “Come on, this was 1980! Today, in 2017, things are much better”. Sorry I cannot say that with a straight face. And that is a reflection of the amount of work that still needs to be done. I will leave you with that sobering thought – and this equally sobering song.
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Sahir Ludhianvi
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Sahir Ludhianvi: A paradoxical man, a crusader for women ...
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27 years on, poet's home at centre of bitter legal battle
Sahir’s Soul Shrieked & Screamed Against Injustice ,It Sang The Praises of Love & Saw Great Dreams For India
Ali Peter John
I was releasing my first book ,”Voices in turmoil “in my own school which was run by Catholic priests .I had invited my guru,K.A.Abbas as the chief guest and to release my book. The priests came to know about Abbas being in the school and almost stopped my event because for them ,Abbas was a Communist and against god and should not have been given permission to enter the school I didn’t let Abbas Sahab know about their problem with him , because I knew he would bring the house down with his anger .The event continued and there was a press conference in which I was asked many questions . One of them was about who my favourite poets were .I said Sahir Ludhianvi and the entire press and the audience looked at me as if I was a mad man . Not one of them knew who Sahir Ludhianvi was and they did not want to show their ignorance.I didn’t change my mind even as they kept asking me questions about the many English poets and writers I had read and studied.
I too had not read any of Sahirs poems ,but I had heard all his great songs in the many films I saw .There was something about his poetry that could even make a fifteen year old boy react to them .
I saw dreams of seeing Sahir some day in my life . But I didn’t have to wait for long .
I had the greatest opportunity of working with Abbas Sahab who changed my entire life .
It was in Abbas Sahab’s library that I was dazzled to see some of the greatest Urdu writers and poets and sitting in one corner was the man I was looking for ,Sahir Ludhianvi himself . Abbas Sahab always introduced me to all his great friends and so did he introduce me to Sahir Ludhianvi who took an Instant liking for me and without knowing me , asked me ,”miyaan shaayar ho kya ? Likhte vikhte ho kiya? Miyaan , kuch bhi karo lekin hum logo ki rozi roti mat cheenna”
Those words coming from Sahir who I had hero -worshiped was too much to take for me ,a boy from a village who was destined to meet some of the greatest names in India .I didn’t have my lunch or batata vada and paav that afternoon .I was both full and drunk on the words of Sahir which I still cannot forget even after fifty years .
I was sure ,I don’t know why that I would meet Sahir again ,but as I said there was some power which was guiding me on my way ahead
Abbas Sahab advised me to look for some other job as I would have no future working with him on hundred rupees a month .He helped me in getting a job in” Screen”where I was destined to work for the next forty -eight years .It was while I was in “Screen “that I met giants , geniuses and pygmies alike .
I was assigned to attend a party to celebrate a song written by Sahir for a film called “1965” . The party was at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba .How could I miss a party where Sahir was sure to be there ? That one night changed many things in my life.I had a long talk with Sahir and drank the best whisky with him . He taught me how to hold my glass and he told me that I should never insult liquor by adding water or soda with it , but drink it neat . His way of dressing in trousers ,a loose shirt and especially his “Nehru jacket “caught my fancy and to this day ,even now as I am writing this piece on Sahir, I am still wearing a jacket like Sahir used to wear
We became friends and I remember all the many mornings when I had breakfast with him at his bungalow in Versova .We had several dinners in some of the best hotels . Next to poetry ,if Sahir love anything ,it was whiskey and delicious food .
I had seen him in the best of his moods and even in his worst moods .He never liked working with the big music directors and was happy working with composers like N.Dutta ,Ravi, Roshan and other smaller composer because he didn’t like interference in his work from anyone . Talking about the big composer , he once said ,”Unka kiya ,unkey toh naukar baithe hain London aur America mein .Woh dhun banaate hai aur ye saale chor log unke dhune churakar bechte hai “.He always demanded one rupee more than any composer he was working with .
He was a big loser as a lover even though he wrote great poetry about love . His losing the love of Amrita Pritam has become a legendary love story now and there is always a mention about the singer Sudha Malhotra as his other lover , but Sudha Malhotra says that it was only a professional relationship .
His friends like Abbas Sahab , Rajinder Singh Bedi , Majrooh Sultanpuri and his own doctor -friend Dr.R.K.Kapoor asked him not to live the dangerous way in which he was living .But Sahir seemed to be on a self-distructive spree and no advise could make him change his life style
He had started calling sick , but he didn’t care to even consult his own friend Dr.Kapoor
One evening on October 25 ,he was drunk and asked a taxi driver to take him to his bungalow Versova .He kept the taxi waiting and told the driver that he would be back in ten minutes .He went in and rested on the lap of Dr.Kapoor and died of a massive heart attack.
His funeral was attended by almost every one in the industry .I don’t have any money to travel to the kabrastaan in Santa Cruz .I borrowed a rupee from a friend and first went to his house in Juhu which was an apartment which was a part of his own building called” Parchhaiyan”, but the funeral procession had already left .I ran in the direction of the Kabrastaan and reached before he could be buried in an ordinary and very cheap grave as it was his will .There was no one to even to pay the men who prepared his grave .The now famous poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar remembered that he had taken a loan of two hundred rupees from Sahir when he (Javed)was a starving struggler and he paid the grave diggers the money they had to be paid .It was a very strange way of paying off a loan ….
The Mumbai Municipal Corporation built a marble plaque in his honour ,but it was vandalised the very same night and no one has tried to find out who the culprits were and no attempts have been made to place another plaque in his honour again .
These days , thirty- nine years later people are vying with one another to pay their respects to Sahir Ludhianvi and some are even staging plays and planning to make biopics about him .
Wouldn’t it be better if people followed his beliefs and principles and tried to fulfill his dreams to see that “subah jo kabhi toh aayegi , the subah when there will be no injustice ,no poverty ,no women would be sold in bazaars and no children would have to beg in the streets and at traffic signals .
As I come to the conclusion of this piece on Sahir ,I experienced a very eerie happening .My friend , Manohar Iyer whoes worship of Sahir had made him dream of building a holy place or a temple in honor of Sahir, is lying in the ICU of a leading hospital. He was doing a four hour long show on Sahir on which he had been working since the last three months . He was coming to the end of the show , when he suffered a heart attack .Is this the price a Sahir Bhakt woul have to pay ?If I know Manohar well ,I know he would have said ,”Sahir par ek jaan kiya,Sahir ke liye kayee Jaane dene ke liye tyaar hai ye Sahir ka poojari “
His apartment in *Parchhaiyan” is like one big and dark wasteland with all his books, trophies and awards lying in a rotting state .His bungalow in Versova has been demolished for a multi storey building to come up .
Sahir lives even though he died thirty nine years ago and Sahir will live as long as poetry lives.
| Lyrics | Translation |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri kahani hai | My story will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri hasti hai | My existence will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri jawani hai | My youth will last only for a moment or two |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri kahani hai | My story will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri hasti hai | My existence will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri jawani hai | My youth will last only for a moment or two |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Mujhse pehle kitne shayar aaye | So many poets came before me |
| Aur aakar chale gaye | They came and they left |
| Kuch aahein bharkar laut gaye | Some cried and returned |
| Kuch nagme gaakar chale gaye | Some sang songs and left |
| Woh bhi ek pal ka kisa the | They were also a part of the moment |
| Main bhi ek pal ka kisa hoon | I'm also a part of the moment |
| Kal tumse juda ho jaunga | Tomorrow I'll separate from you |
| Woh aaj tumhara hisa hoon | Though I'm a part of your present today |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri kahani hai | My story will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri hasti hai | My existence will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri jawani hai | My youth will last only for a moment or two |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Kal aur aayenge | A few more will come tomorrow |
| Nagmo ki khilti kaliyan chunne wale | Who will pick blossoming songs |
| Mujhse behtar kehne wale | There will be better narrators than me |
| Tumse behtar sunne wale | And better listeners than you |
| Kal koi mujhko yaad kare | I wish someone will remember me tomorrow |
| Kyun koi mujhko yaad kare | But why will someone remember me |
| Mashroof zamana mere liye | Why will this busy world |
| Kyun waqt apna barbad kare | Waste its time for me |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri kahani hai | My story will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri hasti hai | My existence will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri jawani hai | My youth will last only for a moment or two |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri kahani hai | My story will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri hasti hai | My existence will last only for a moment or two |
| Pal do pal meri jawani hai | My youth will last only for a moment or two |
| Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon | I'm a poet only for a moment or two |
| 47 |
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